Published by Insider Media
PLANS SUBMITTED FOR £26M BRITISH STEEL INVESTMENT
British Steel has submitted the planning application for a £26m upgrade to its Special Profiles business in Skinningrove.
The proposals for a new service centre at the site, which include cut-to-length lines, product milling, machining and warehousing operations, would enable the company to make and process an extended range of value-added profiles for the forklift industry.
David Hogg, Special Profiles plant manager, said: "These plans represent the biggest single investment in our Special Profiles business for more than 30 years and will ensure we remain a leading global manufacturer.
"If our plans are approved, we hope to start building works later this year with commissioning expected to start in August 2023."
British Steel's Special Profiles business makes components for a wide range of sectors including the forklift and earthmoving industries.
Its plans for the new service centre, which would sit at the heart of the company's Skinningrove site, have been submitted to Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council for approval. They were designed by lead architects Building Design Northern (BDN Ltd), whose appointment was announced in January.
David Waine, British Steel's commercial director for Special Profiles, said: "The plans will enable us to manufacture world-class products to the tightest of tolerances. They will also enable us to explore new growth opportunities for although our primary product offering would be for forklift mast production, we expect to be able to expand this to include other product applications too."
Richard Marsden, managing director of BDN, added: "The continued investment by British Steel into Skinningrove will provide a huge boost to the Tees Valley’s historic steel industry and we are delighted to be working closely with the company to help bring this exciting project to life."
Submission of the plans was welcomed by Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen.
"Steelmaking is in the blood of every Teessider and I am delighted to see British Steel's plans to expand operations at their Skinningrove plant are a step closer," said Houchen. "This £26m investment is the company's largest in its special profiles business for more than 30 years and will be a huge boost for the region."
The new Skinningrove facility is designed to replace the services currently offered at the company's site in Darlington, which stores and cuts profiles to customer requirements. The company revealed in August 2021 that it intends to offer all employees currently based at Darlington new roles to retain and support its skilled workforce.